However, they didn’t have to wait too long as Watkins made it official shortly after Chase’s 63-21 victory over St. Jude, picking Clemson over Florida, becoming the 19th verbal commitment of the 2012 Clemson recruiting class.

The 6-4, 290-pound 4-star prospect had offers from many of the nation’s top programs, but had recently narrowed his choices down to Clemson and Florida, but ended the suspense late Friday.

“It was wild,” Bailey told TigerNet shortly after the decision. “They had a countdown from 10, and then he busted out through a banner in a golf cart with those orange and white balloons on it. There was a lot of excitement. I honestly didn’t know, though, until I went out at lunch and saw those balloons and then I knew. I feel like he made a great choice.”

Bailey said that he feels like Watkins chose the Tigers because of the comfort factor and how close it is to home.

“I think that some of what ultimately led him to Clemson was just the distance from home,” he said. “It came down to it being closer for him, and kids who have a solid home life like Carlos does, they won't get too far away from that stability factor. Someone who doesn’t have that stability will try and go away and start new, but that isn’t the case with Carlos. I think he wanted to stay at home and be with his family.”

Watkins is the nation’s No. 9 defensive line prospect, and the No. 4-rated prospect in the state of North Carolina.

As a junior, Watkins had 50 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. On offense, he also caught 11 passes for 237 yards while rushing for 270 yards on 65 carries.

“People just don’t realize how athletic this kid is,” Bailey told TigerNet last month. “There are a lot of players in the nation that can go out and do what he does on defense. But there are not a lot of them that can go out and play wide out at his size, and we do put him in the slot sometimes. He has the best hands on the team, hands down. In our first game, he actually caught a 26-yard pass on a skinny post and took it for a touchdown. He is so athletic it is ridiculous. He is like a defensive back or a running back that is in the body of a defensive lineman.”